Katie A. Implementation

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Katie A. Implementation Progress
Hurdles Child Family Team Component
Donna Ewing-Marto, Executive Family Partner,
Family Youth Roundtable Sarah Pauter, Executive
Youth Partner, Family Youth Roundtable
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Family Youth Roundtable
Our Mission
To advance excellence in the public child, youth
and family service system through an independent
network of youth and families.
Our Vision
All children, youth and families are healthy,
safe and thriving in their communities.
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The History of System Reform Efforts
1969 Congress ordered a report be conducted on
the status of childrens mental health in the
United States. 1974 As part of the Federal
Community Mental Health Center's Act, 20 million
was allocated to states as part of a seven-year
effort at funding children's mental health
programs. 1979-80 A class action lawsuit was
filed in the state of North Carolina. The Willie
M case set a precedent for states to create a
network of case managers to coordinate care
through a "system of care." 1982 Unclaimed
Children The Failure of Public Responsibility to
Children and Adolescents in Need of Mental Health
Services portrayed a nation that had neglected
children with mental health needs. 1984
National Institute of Mental Health allocated
1.5 million to develop the Child and Adolescent
Service System Program (CASSP), a federal reform
effort designed to integrate services 2000 The
Surgeon General created the National Action
Agenda in response to the public crisis in
mental healthcare for infants, children and
adolescents. The primary concern was that many
children have mental health problems that
interfere with normal development and
functioning. 2008 The Unclaimed Children
Revisited found that 25 years later, many states
are still struggling to respond to the needs of
children with mental health concerns.

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What is a Child Family Team?

• The CFT is a team of people--- it is comprised
  of the youth and family and all of the ancillary
  individuals who are working with them toward
  their mental health goals and their successful
  transition out of the child welfare system.
• Child Family Teams must
• Be comprised of the child, youth and family and
  formal supports from both child welfare and
  mental health
• Child Family Team meetings must
• Have a clear and standardized meeting process
• Convene a minimum of every 90 days

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Child Family Team Standards
Teams promote transparency and collaboration
while working toward common goals.
Teams have mutual respect and recognize each
others contributions.
Team members should include informal supports,
such as extended family, friends, and mentors, as
well as other formal supports, like teachers and
other agencies providing services.
Working as part of a team involves a different
way of decision-making. Child welfare, mental
health staff, and service providers need to
become knowledgeable about and comfortable
working within a team environment that engages
youth and families as partners in that
environment.
The child and family guide the team composition
and schedule and location of meetings based upon
their needs.
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Barriers
Currently
Historically

• Training of providers, foster care workers, and
  foster parents
• Limited collaboration between system
  professionals and biological parents
• Children with both medical and mental health
  needs
• Placement instability
• Stigma

• Lack of coordination between child welfare and
  mental health providers
• Failure to provide mental health screening and
  assessments
• Data sharing

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Recommendations

• Development of an oversight commission that
  includes informed family youth representatives
  as equal decision makers.
• Child Family Teams Meetings are independent of
  preexisting meetings.
• Counties develop mechanisms to provide children
  and families with the same information and
  resources provided to professionals.

• Educate and support children and families to
  evaluate the quality of services they receive.
• Transition from data centric outcome metrics to
  qualitative measures that are consistent with the
  CPM.
• Incentivize compliancy to the CPM.

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THANK YOU
5005 Texas St. Suite 104 San Diego, CA
92108 [phone] donna_at_fyrt.org
spauter_at_fyrt.org